Geography of Ancient GreeceHandout 1

At the same time that the Shang dynasty was ruling much of the Huang He Rivervalley and the Egyptian pharaohs were building the New Kingdom along the Nile,another civilization was beginning, along the northeastern shores of the MediterraneanSea. The civilization was that of the ancient Greeks.

In Greece, there was no great river carrying layers of fertile silt to create richfarmland. Instead of finding themselves in an environment provided by a river valley,ancient Greeks found themselves on a peninsula, a piece of land almost entirelysurrounded by the sea, with a rocky landscape that offered few natural resources.

Ancient Greece was located on the southern European mainland. The modern daycountry of Greece includes not only the mainland portion, but also includes hundreds ofislands. The biggest of these islands is Crete, south of the mainland. Northeast of Crete isanother large island called Rhodes.

Mountains and hills cover nearly three-fourths of Greece. Western Greece is themost mountainous, and there, travel by land is very difficult. The land is not very fertile,either, but farmers herd goats and sheep on the rugged hillsides.

Eastern Greece has more land suitable for farming. Some of these farmlands are onthe peninsula of Attica. Attica also has excellent natural harbors, or sheltered places, forships. Peloponnesus, a large peninsula southwest of Attica, is a mountainous regionoutlined by a thin area of fertile soil. Here can be found several rivers, but unlike rivers inEgypt or Mesopotamia, these rivers dry up in the summer.

The climate of Greece also presented a challenge for early farmers. Summers werehot and dry, and winters were wet and windy. Ancient Greeks raised crops and animalswell suited to the environment. Wheat and barley were grown, and olives and grapeswere harvested. The many hills and mountains provided shrubs to feed the herds ofsheep, goats, and cattle.

Because farming didnt produce huge surpluses, and travel across the terrain wasdifficult, the Greeks came to depend on the sea. People living near the Mediterranean,Aegean, and Ionian Seas became fishers, sailors, and merchants. Because of Greeceslocation in the eastern Mediterranean, it was a perfect location for trade. Greek sailorswere highly skilled, and traveled as far as ancient Egypt to trade their products. Greekmerchants competed with traders from other Mediterranean cultures. One of these

cultures was the Phoenicians. Traders from all over were eager to exchange their goodsfor Greeces olive oil, wool, and wine. Those who traded with the Greeks especiallyprized Greece's olive oil. It added flavor to food, along with its usefulness as a lamp fueland body lotion.

Cause and EffectHandout 2

Answer the following questions based on your reading from Handout 1. Then put your answers into theCause and Effect graphic organizer at the bottom of this page.

1. What physical features make up nearly three-fourths of Greece?

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2. How does such an environment affect life there?_____________________________________________________________________

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3. What effects did geography have on the ways ancient Greeks met their needs?

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4. How did the limited amount of fertile land cause the Greeks to become sea traders?

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Causes Effects

Ancient Greece Writing Prompt & Checklist"Handout 3

You are a geographer and an expert on the Mediterranean area. Write a summary toexplain to 6th - 8th graders how the geography of Greece influenced the ancient Greeks tobecome sea traders.

Your summary must:

_____ present the information clearly and be accurately organized.

_____ contain the main idea plus the most significant details.

_____ include examples of cause and effect.

_____ use your own words.

_____ write in the voice of a geographer.

_____ be punctuated correctly.

Cause and EffectHandout 2 Answer Key

Answer the following questions based on your reading from Handout 1. Then put your answers into acause and effect graphic organizer at the bottom of this page.

5. What physical features make up nearly three-fourths of Greece?

Three-fourths of Greece is mountains and hills.

6. How does such an environment affect life there?

The rugged, rocky, hilly landscape provided few natural resources for early people. Farmers herdedgoats and sheep on the hillsides. Land travel was difficult, so Greeks relied on the sea for travel.

7. What effects did geography have on the ways ancient Greeks met their needs?

The Greeks had to raise crops and animals suited to the hilly environment and the climate of hot, drysummers and wet winters. Their crops were wheat, barley, olives and grapes. Herds of sheep, goats,and cattle grazed on the shrubs on the many hills and mountains.

8. How did the limited amount of fertile land cause the Greeks to become sea traders?

Because farming didnt produce surpluses, the Greeks came to depend on the sea. People becamefishers, sailors, and merchant traders. Greek sailors were highly skilled. Those who traded with theGreeks especially prized Greeces olive oil.

Causes Effects

1. Mountainous, hillyland

2. Hot dry summers,wet winters

3. Lack of abundantfertile land

4. Lack of farmingsurpluses

1. Greeks becameherders.

2. Crops were suited tothe climate (wheat,barley, olives, grapes)

3. Greeks turned to thesea for resources.

4. Greeks became seatraders.